Adverse Childhood Experiences – ACES

ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES – ACES

UK Parliament have stated ….

Although there is no universally agreed definition of an adverse childhood experience (ACE),  studies addressing the issue have mostly converged on a similar set of agreements falling under these  experiences:

• verbal abuse;
• physical abuse;
• sexual abuse;
• physical neglect;
• emotional neglect;
• parental separation;
• household mental illness;
• household domestic violence;
• household alcohol abuse;
• household drug abuse; and
• incarceration of a household member.9

The Public Health Wales survey reported that 50% of Welsh adults had experienced at least one ACE, a figure that closely matches survey results in England (47%).

Comparable statistics have not been collected in Scotland or Northern Ireland, but a 2016 report by the Scottish Public Health Network estimated that prevalence in Scotland would be at least as high.

The Children’s Commissioner’s Office estimates that at least 690,000 children aged 0–5 in England live in a household with an adult that has experienced domestic violence and abuse, substance misuse or mental health issues.